Son of a Hunter 2: Shattered Moonlight
by RWBRyan
Summary: When the gods begin to be captured by an unknown force, nature begins to rage out of control. And so Leon, the newest god of Olympus, and his group must face their toughest challenge yet...
1. Chapter 1

**Well…it was overwhelmingly asked for…and so I shall deliver.**

**Welcome to the next chapter in Leon's life! Godhood just isn't what it's hyped to be…**

Chapter 1: Cleaning up the town.

The boy and his mother walked out of the store into the low moonlighted night. The boy was no older than five or so, and his mother looked like she was mid-to-late twenties. She held a bag of groceries in her hand and held the hand of her child as they carefully made their way across the street, checking for traffic. The boy felt his stomach grumbling as he and his mother trotted down the sidewalk, heading back for their car parked a few blocks away.

The streets were deserted, nobody within sight. The woman hurriedly shepherded her boy down the block, checking for anybody following them or anyone hiding in the shadows. The town had had a record number of killings and such, as it seemed to have imported a large number of psycho-paths for some reason. There had been several murders within the past few days and if it was not for the desperate need for food in the fridge, she would have waited for broad daylight to do the shopping. And her husband was at work, and she could not leave a five-year old alone at home. And so here she was, trying like hell to get to her car with her little boy, before anything unpleasant might happen.

But according to laws of physics, if something bad can happen, then it will happen. And it will happen at the worst possible moment. And it chose to reveal itself right when the mother decided to take a shortcut through the alleyway to the next block.

The mother noticed that they could shave time off their trip if they cut through the alley. Normally, going down a dark alley at night would cause most people pause, but she was desperate to get her hungry child home, and so she carefully took him by his hand down the alley, looking warily into the shadows that covered it almost completely.

The boy was walking along next to his mother, not sharing her fears, as his childish mind would not understand them. TO him, mommy was simply trying to get them home in time for dinner to be made before their father came home. And so he happily skipped along next to his mother, not a care in the world. But that soon changed when their was a sudden rustling behind them and before he could turn to look, he was roughly shoved pout of his mother's grasp, hitting the sidewalk on his side and he felt hurt.

Tears forming in his eyes from the unfamiliar feeling of pain, he turned to see his mother being held behind the neck by a large man in black leather clothing. He had wild eyes and the smile of a predator on his face. He looked at the boy and the boy felt a cold fear race through him at the sight. Then he felt a hand roughly grab him from behind and hoist him up, until he was face to face with yet another gangster.

The one holding hi mother slowly slipped his tongue out and lapped along his mother's neck, as if to taste her fear. He mother cried and begged them not to hurt her boy, but the man holding him brought his hand roughly across his back, giving him a sharp slap on the small of it. The he cried out and the man holding him howled with laughter at his pain.

"Can't take a little love tap on the behind can he!" He laughed. Then he turned to his companion, now holding his mother, who was hysterically trying to get out of his grasp, but to no avail.

"Hey Bob, what ya' gonna do with that one?" he asked

The man named Bob looked down at his mother, who was crying and trying to scream. But he had his hand roughly on her mouth, and any sound she made was muffled to a great effect. He looked down and examined his mother's backside, his eyes resting on her hindquarters a little longer than the rest. Then he looked back at his companion, a wilder grin spreading across his face.

"Think I'm gonna introduce her to a friend of mine…down there," he indicated his groin. His mother howled against his hand and desperately clawed at him, but Bob held her fast, and began to drag her to the side of the alley. He tore at her clothing, managing to rip apart her shirt. He was just about to take off his pants when the mother managed to free her mouth from his other hand. And she was quick to bite it while his other was occupied with his zipper.

Bob howled with pain and twirled the boy's mother around, then giving a vicious back-handed blow to the face. His mother's nose broke and blood flowed from it. The boy cried out and reached toward his mother. But the man holding him up only laughed at his efforts, and placed his hands upon the boy's throat. He did not squeeze completely, but the boy's air intake was severally hampered by the pressure.

"Don't worry sonny. Your mommy is going to be taken good care of," He gently hissed into the boy's ear. The boy choked with the pressure and his mother redoubled her efforts at the sight of her choking son. She rallied against the man behind her, who had slmost managed to unzip his pants and give him a back-kick to the groin. This seemed to sap the will out of him as he briefly let go. His mother began to rush over to him, screaming for help, but the cry was curt short by the man behind her, who quickly recovered and held her mouth shut. Then he reached behind himself to bring out a large knife.

"You know something? It's just not worth this much trouble. So say bye-bye to your little urchin there…" He taunted.

His mother screamed against his mouth…

And the man drew his blade across her throat. His mother slowly began to go limp in his arms as her blood flowed down her sliced throat. Her eyes went back into her head and she slowly went completely limp in the man's arms. He smirked and dropped her like a log, not caring for the fact that the boy was now gazing into his dead mother's eyes, and the hideous wound in her throat.

The man holding him seemed to want some extra fun, and so let the boy go. The boy would not have understood the need to run away, so he ran to his mother's now dead body, a pool of blood forming underneath her head. The boy cried and gently nudged his mother's head with his hands, not understanding what he had just seen. The men behind him laughed and one approached him, Bob the killer.

He held his knife in front of him, slowly walking toward the boy, crying next to his mother. He laughed at the boy's pain, at the sight of his mother's blood on his little hands as he nudged her, trying to get her to "wake up". He slowly couched behind the boy and grabbed his head, spinning him around to look into those young, terror filled eyes.

"Now it's your turn little chap…"

The man raised his knife…

And then something strange happened. He jerked upright as if something had shocked him with a jolt of electricity. But it wasn't anything like that, as the boy saw what seemed to be some kind of projectile, which was an arrow, sticking out of his chest. The sharp point had gone straight through his back and impaled him. The man had time to look around and notice through his blurring vision three teenagers, armed with what seemed to be bow's and arrows. And then he fell dead.

The other man saw them as well, and in his probably slightly drunken state, had fear rip through him at the very sight of them. The three turned to look at him, and he saw things in their eyes that burned right through his soul. He yelped in fear and then took off at a dead run past the boy and his dead mother. He slipped and stumbled in the mother's blood, but managed to stay up and keep running. He did not get far though.

Two of the strangers ran after him with blinding speed. They quickly grasped both his arms, pulling them behind his back. The man did not notice this until he was forced to stop running when his arms were jerked back, and a loud cry uttered from his lips at the feeling of his shoulder's spraining. The two boys looked at him with absolutely no mercy for him, and they held him tightly, looking at the other figure, who was a girl about sixteen or seventeen. She looked into his eyes as she slowly approached, and was able to see the fiery ruthlessness in them. She looked down at the boy, crying in fear and cradling his mother, and then looked back at him.

"Erin, Jeremy, you know what to do," she said.

The two boys, Erin and Jeremy, began to drag the man away. He struggled and threshed against them, but they seemed to have strength beyond that of any normal teen. They quickly withdrew from the little boy's sight, the man's scream echoing through the distance. Then the girl turned to glare at the boy. But what the little boy thought was going to be a glare was actually a look of intense pity.

The little girl got down to her knees next to him and gently pried the boy's tiny fingers off of his mother's face. The boy thrashed slightly at the movement, but quickly broke down emotionally, all of what he had just seen coming back to him, even if he was too young to understand. He wrapped his arms tightly around the girl's neck, and she held his small body, racked with sobs of fear and sadness, without the slightest complaint. In fact, this girl, who had seemed so ruthless in the way she looked at the human monster that her companions dragged away, was gently humming to him and holding him tight, not once recoiling from the way the boy was holding her.

She gently raised her head from the little boy's shoulder and looked into his eyes. She was an extremely pretty beautiful girl. Her brunette hair was silky smooth and reached down to the top edge of her breasts. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, and she clearly could have been a teenage supermodel. But the boy was not looking at this in specific details, just replaying the murder of his mother over and over. The boy then buried his face in her chest, a fresh wave of crying coming over him. The girl did not protest, only allowed him to vent his feelings and had one hand reached around his waist, with the other gently stroking down the back of his head in slow, almost motherly strokes.

When his cried quieted to a gentle whimpering, she looked back into his face, a reassuring smile on her face. She placed her hand on his cheek and wiped one of his tears away.

"What's your name?" She asked

The boy was too scared to answer.

"You don't need to be afraid of us, that I promise."

"Ma…Ma…Mark…"

"Do you know where your house is?" She asked.

Mark nodded his knowing to her.

"Alright, I am going to take you there. Come on."

The girl picked him up with surprising strength. Mark curled up in her arms and closed his eyes tightly, willing away the monsters he had seen away…

-Leon-

Leon sat in his room at the motel, going over the latest reports with Jaydeen, his lieutenant. Jaydeen had been with him since he first recruited him a little over a year ago, the very first Guardian. And so he naturally became the Guardian's lieutenant. He was African-American, about sixteen when he was recruited, and had shown remarkable ingenuity when it came to tough calls.

One of the things that being a god struck Leon first was that it was not exactly as hyped as he thought it was. When he formed his new group, it was a living hell to get anything done relating to their main mission, which was to fight and defend the weak and helpless, in whatever town came to their attention. This one in particular had had a surge in violent crimes, especially murder. And so it had become their next town to "clean-up"

Jaydeen pointed out a spot in the local park where a rape was in progress when two Guardians intervened. They managed to save the woman and kill the rapists, stringing his body up where the cops could easily find it. Leon was simply waiting for the report of the other group that was out tonight, three of his other fourteen Guardians. This one was out patrolling for any possible murders that would be occurring off the main radar, and then do what they could to stop it. Bethany, a daughter of Aphrodite was in charge. Bethany had been the third one selected after Jaydeen, Leon finding her alone next to the corpses of her killed parents. She was seventeen, ironically the same age of the God Leonike, or Leon to his friends.

Right now she was out with Erin and Jeremy, two newer, though still experienced Guardians. Leon knew that those three could handle themselves in they caem across anything. He signed and laid down, Jaydeen giving him a smirk of amusement.

"Ya' tired already Leon?" He asked. Leon had asked them to use his normal name, instead of Leonike, except when in a formal situation. He just did not like being so "godly" with them all the time. Many of them were the same age physically that he was now, and he had only been a god for almost two years. He had allowed himself to age slightly to a sixteen year old, but decided to cut it off right there. He knew that his mother usually assumed the twelve year old guise with her huntresses and he decided to take a leaf from her book.

"You know Jaydeen, even gods can get tired too, unfortunately," Leon replied. That was something that initially bummed out Leon to his new godliness, but he decide it did add some normality to the whole deal.

Jaydeen just grinned and shook his head. Several other Guardians were in the large hotel room, watching re-runs of Xena: Warrior Princess that was showing. Several of his "wilder" boy Guardians made cat-calls as Xena and Gabrielle came on screen and the two girls among them rolled their eyes in annoyance. But boys will be boys…

It was at this instant that Bethany arrived with her two companions, the two boys walking to the bathroom to wash their hands of the blood upon them. Bethany had little specks of blood on her face and neck but there was not indication of battle upon her. She walked right up to Leon, who immediately straightened into an upright sitting position when she approached.

"What happened?" He asked.

Bethany looked grim.

"We came across a murder. We heard the creams of a woman but we were too late to save her. But we managed t save her child from the two men that were about to kill him."

Leon nodded.

"Where's the boy?" He asked.

Bethany smiled at the recent memory.

"He's at his home, waiting for his father to come home. I put him to sleep on the couch."

Leon smiled. Bethany always had a thing with the little ones they sometimes came across when finding the parents of them murdered. She was a truly caring soul…kind of like his mother was, or his adoptive mother. Leon smiled at the memory of his human mother, reminding himself to stop in sometime. He had not seen her for a while.

He dismissed Bethany to get a shower, but not before asking what became of the two murderers.

Bethany turned and gave him a cold look, but not directed at him.

"They were taken care of…"

That was all he needed to know…

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of the sequel! I will have more up as soon as I can, as I will be gone for about a week for a vacation….Until then, happy hunting!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 is finally here. Feast your eyes and enjoy!**

Chapter 2: Reunion

Leon awoke, feeling the sun warming his now godly body. He yawned and then slowly raised himself up from the bed, having not bothered to get under the covers. He had lain on it with three other guys, which would have been very disturbing for most people. But in the guardians, a tight-knit group for something that was just formed last year, such things were the norm. Besides, thirteen teenagers within one hotel room would have been very eye rising for most hotel clerks. So they often would get one room and the rest would gradually enter, nonchalantly. Most of them slept in sleeping bags, with those on the bed having gotten a turn to do so.

Leon noticed that several of his Guardians were already awake and were outside, talking and sipping drinks next to the pool area. He walked outside and entered it, the heads of his troop turning to see him.

"Howdy Leon! Want some soda?" One the Guardians said, a heavily muscled boy named Spencer.

"Nah, just wanted to stretch my legs a bit, do some swimming," Leon replied.

Most gods probably would have wanted to be referred to with a little more relevancy than what Spencer showed. But after his guardians started calling him "Lord Leonike" he put a stop to it, wanting to be more "closer" with them. They now only referred to him as "Leonike" when they were at a formal event or so, like the initiation of a new guardian.

Leon stood at the side of the pool and focused his powers a bit. Within seconds, he was changed out of his clothes into swimming trunks.

Spencer whistled.

"Man, I wish I could change clothes that fast…"

Leon laughed as he jumped into the water and began to swim his laps, taking notice not to go so fast that he created a kind of whirlpool. Being a god can really increase your physical abilities, as Leon found out one time at a hotel pool in Colorado. That unfortunate incident involved plenty of soaked guardians. Bethany was ticked off for days afterward.

He finished and got out of the water, willing the water to get off of him. He then stood perfectly dry and then used his powers to switch back to his usual clothes for traveling, A black T-shirt and jeans. He informed the three teens at the pool of his plan for the day, and they acknowledged. Then he went back into the hotel room to find most of the others already awake.

"Alright guys, I got an idea!"

It was dead silent except for Erin who snickered.

"You have ideas?"

"Quiet you! Now I think we are entitled to a little break for a while. So what say you to a little relaxation and brushing up on tactics over at Camp Half-Blood?"

There was a moment of silence, and then they whooped and hollered their delight. Leon grinned, satisfied with their response. Camp Half-Blood was always their favorite place, especially since some of them had joined his group directly from there.

They quickly assembled their gear and piled into several large vans that they had "confiscated" from several murderers a couple of months ago. Leon knew that he could simply teleport them to the camp, but he decided to take the long way, even if it was just for a couple of hours. He always liked the social time.

Bethany was driving, which was probably a bad call on their part, as Bethany was a rabid driver. Several Guardians asked during the drive if it might be more prudent that they take the wheel, but Bethany insisted that there was nothing at all wrong with her driving skills. Never mind the near sideswipes and rear-endings. And she got road-rage as well, screaming and swearing at old drivers crawling down the road at half the speed limit. But at least she was not as bad as Taylor, a son of Ares, who was just behind them and took it personal when a fly kamikaze attacked his windshield.

Going through Manhattan was rough, but Bethany at least had very good instincts, allowing them to swerve past most of the traffic. Gods knew how they avoided cops but they saw none going through. Maybe it was because they were driving so fast that the license plate would have been a blur for anyone normal to see.

They pulled up to an empty stretch of road, and Leon used his powers to pull a shroud of mist over them, so that regular mortals would not see them and report them to be towed. Leon found that ability very handy as well, especially when dealing with mortal police, which, with several children of Hermes in the group, was more often than he would have liked.

He still remembered an incident about a month ago when Trish, a daughter of Hermes, had shoplifted a couple of female underwear garments. Somehow, a police officer had been lucky enough to catch her stuffing it in her coat and had given chase when she tried to flee. She could not really show any of her "guardian" abilities in front of mortals, and so Leon was forced to wipe the guard's memory and invoke the mist, shielding themselves from the mortal eyes. Trish had gotten a good scolding from that.

"Now, you all remember the rules of this place right? So nobody goes overboard?" He asked the regrouped guardians, after Taylor nearly crashed into the back of them when the stopped.

"Sure, sure, whatever man," Jeremy muttered.

"All right. I'll go to Chiron and let him know we are here…say what, how about I ask about a capture the flag with some of the campers?"

That got their attention. They said their appreciation aloud and Leon promised to speak with Chiron about it. Then he sent them off toward the camp, them jogging at a moderate pace, with Jaydeen at the front. Leon then teleported.

He still was not completely used to this, the sudden burst of energy, the rush of everything swirling around you, and then suddenly reappearing in a different place. But with practice, it had gotten easier to understand and endure, though he was still a little shaky when he did it.

And in microseconds, thankfully, he was in front of the Big House with Chiron standing in front. But Chiron was not expecting this, and jumped nearly a foot when Leon appeared before him.

"Gah!"

"Hey Chiron. How's it been?"

Chiron put his hand on his heart and took a deep breathe.

"By the gods Leonike, I thought you had given me a heart attack for a moment. I wonder if I ever will get those."

Leon grinned.

"Sorry."

"It is quite alright Lord Leonike."

"Chiron, we've been through this. My name is Leon, and I won't have you referring to me as Leonike."

"But Leonike is the name you chose for yourself, is it not?"

"Yeah, but I only did it because I felt I needed something more godly than Leon. But when it's something informal, such as me just dropping by, my name is Leon."

Chiron smiled at the way Leon was speaking. It was not to hard to knew that this particular god was only nearing his seventeenth birthday. Chiron turned see the rest of Leon's new guardian group running into camp and stopping once they were across the boundry. He chuckled.

"I trained half of those, you know."

"Yeah, and they have been putting that training to good use."

Chiron nodded.

"I suppose that the recent reduction in crime rate in several cities was of your doing then?"

"Well, me and them."

Chiron nodded and smiled again. Then he pointed toward the cabin area.

"We have set up a place for your guardians to live while you are here…we hope you like it."

Leon cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Chiron chuckled.

"Just go and see for yourself."

Leon nodded slowly, a look of confusion anticipation on his face.

"Okay…"

The guardians reached his position and he led them into the cabin areas. The Guardians were surprised, since they usually stayed in tents next to the lake. But Leon told them of what Chiron had said and they followed him to the cabin area.

The cabins were mostly empty, as classes were being held for all current cabins. Leon could hear the sounds of various activities around them and the whoops and such coming from the sword arena, where apparently there was a cabin-on-cabin duel.

Leon moved from Cabin to Cabin, wondering just what Chiron had been implying. He past the Artemis cabin and bowed slightly in relevance to his mother. The Guardians snickered behind him, though they were none to complain, as they were doing the same as they past the cabins of their own parents, those who were half-bloods.

Suddenly they came across a cabin they did not recognize. Leon stopped and examined it. It was a lot like the Artemis cabin, but slightly more…manly. Leon could not identify just who's cabin it was. The group behind him stopped as well, and looked at it.

"Hey Leon, who's cabin is this?"

Leon shrugged his shoulders. Then he saw the symbol etched on the wood above the door. He tilted his head and looked closer, and his heart stopped beating, if that were at all possible…

Etched above the door was a wolf standing upright, its head pitched back to deliver a powerful howl to the moon. Leon suddenly realized just what it was that Chiron had meant, and his face turned bright red. He turned back to his grip and slowly gave an awkward smile.

"Well…looks like we have a place to stay here, without the need for tents."

His expression, combined with his blushing, caused uproar of laughter from the guardians. They slowly pushed past him, some clapping him on the back, and filed into the cabin. Leon entered soon after.

The cabin had the smell of the woods and seemed enchanted to make the sounds of nature within. Leon could hear wolves and other such animals in a kind of simulated wild, and the cabin seemed to be lit by moonlight colored lights, though he saw none. The guardians moved about, claiming bunks and fighting over the more desirable ones. Leon took the moment to slip out and proceeded to run back to the Big House, for he needed to have a little talk with Chiron.

Chiron was sitting at a table outside, reading a book, and looked up when he saw Leon approach. The expression on the young god's face caused him to chuckle heartily, and Leon stared at the centaur with embarrassment in his eyes.

"Chiron…I may be a god, but I am only just about to turn seventeen. I do not need a cabin here. I am not going to start, well, getting laid yet. Why did you go to lengths as to give me my own cabin here?"

Chiron put his book down and gave Leon a look of understanding, but he still kept chuckling at almost random times. Leon must have really put on that kind of face.

"Leon, as young as you are, you are a god. And as such, you are entitled to your own cabin. Besides, your mother is still a virgin, and she has her own cabin, where her hunters stay when they are here. Therefore, your Guardians can stay in your cabin as well, and then any children whom you may father with mortals in the future."

Leon felt the urge to vomit, but realized that Chiron had a point. That damn centaur _always_ had a point.

Leon gave him a nod of his understanding and then began to move away.

"Oh Leon!"

Leon turned around.

"You might want to keep some of your more "flirty" Guardian boys under restraint. We have some guests here that don't really appreciate boys."

Leon's was confused at first, and then his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You mean…"

"Yes. The hunters arrived several days before you got here. They are currently at the archery range, so I would not introduce your guardians to them just yet. If I recall, you have not introduced them to each other. I would rather not have any bloodshed when you have been here for just a few minutes."

Leon nodded. "Good point."

"Now run along, our newest god. Dinner will be in an hour. And something else. I expect your guardians to behave themselves. We tolerated your little beach parties because they were a distance away from the cabins. But if you attempt to hold your little parties in your cabin and awaken the whole camp, then I will be forced to bring Mr. D into the scene. And you do not want to see how he is when he loses sleep…"

Leon nodded. Chiron seemed serious. Then the Centaur slowly let out another chuckle at Leon's expression.

"I will see you later."

Leon ran off toward his cabin. Literally, _his_ cabin.

The Guardians had already broken out there soda and Leon hoped that that would be the end of it. He did not want to think that some of them might have smuggled alcohol into camp, but with children of Hermes, who knew. Leon tended to turn a blind-eye to drinking, as long as they did not overdue it. But he frowned on it within the camp, with so many younger demi-gods around.

He reported to them Chiron's warning, and they agreed that if any of them decided to take things a little wilder, then they would take it to the lake's beach. Then Leon knew where he wanted to go next.

He slowly ran out toward the archery area and found just the group he was looking for. He could see a group of about twenty girls, taking turns firing arrows with expert precision at the targets in the distance. Leon stopped and watched their efforts from a distance away. He still loved how they could be such experts with the bow, even under adverse conditions as he encountered with Thalia.

Thinking her name sent a cold fire into him. He had confessed this to no one, and knew that it was probably best left sealed within him, but he had fallen in love with the hunt's lieutenant. He thought about the moment's when he thought he detected some hint of passion returned from her, but he buried it along with his love for her. Her immortality was based on the fact that she could not afford to fall in love. She was immortal in one way, vulnerable to death in so many. And Leon could not die anyway.

Because of this, he had decided that after he became a god, he would not tell her. Her immortality depended on it. And if she was going to stay in this world with him, if only as a friend, then so be it. He refused to allow her immortality to be taken by him, and he promised that he would do everything he could to watch over her. He loved her, but only he would know.

Then he spotted her. She was firing her bow with expert precision with the rest of them, and Leon was already walking toward her to greet her when an idea came to his mind, a more worthy greeting.

He summoned his bow, as the one given to him by his mother was now resting in a display case within his cabin, he found to great delight. He was about a distance away from the targets of double that of the hunters were from them. He positioned himself just behind Thalia and raised his bow taking aim at her target. He then let loose, confident of his shot.

Thalia was raising her bow to fire when a large arrow flew past her, missing her by inches. She yelped and jerked back, following the arrow as it struck with perfect aim right to the center of the bull's eye. She gazed at the arrow in the distance, clearly thinking just who could have fired it better than all of them. And then she slowly turned to see Leon standing there, his bow still half-raised and him grinning.

"Leon!"

Thalia forgot what she was doing and hurried toward him, several of the hunters doing the same. Leon deconstructed his bow and was just able to catch Thalia's flying hug. Thalia held him tightly for a moment and then stepped back, a smile for the ages on her face. Several hunters actually did the same, though their hugs were less dramatic than Thalia's.

It was a strange sight to see the hunters hugging a boy. But since Leon done what he did during his test to prove himself to the gods, they had warmed up quite a bit to him. He hugged several more hunters, all smiling to see him. He then turned to Thalia, a grin on his face.

"So, how have your adventures been?"

"Oh, nothing much, just the usual hunting of monsters. How about you?"

"Well, just the hunting of monsters. The one's on the streets."

Thalia nodded.

"Artemis told me what you became god of. I think it is really admirable Leon. If I may ask, is the recent dropping in crime rate and the findings of murderers and rapists strung up and dead being discovered due to you?"

Leon nodded.

"Me and the Guardians."

"I knew you have this group you've made. What's it like?"

Leon scratched the back of his head.

"Well, it's a gender neutral group, so anyone can join, though I prefer they do it at a little more mature age than the hunters."

"What's that suppose to mean!" a hunter who looked about twelve asked.

Leon broke into a laugh.

"Oh you know I didn't mean anything by it!"

Thalia laughed and told the hunters to go back to practicing.

They talked for a while. Thalia would often rant about some adventure she recently had, and Leon would then talk about something funny that he did with his new god powers. She would laugh and then talk about a funny moment as well, and then Leon was asked to describe some of the things they did in the guardians, which he eventually told her. Thalia was horrified at some of the things he said he had seen people do, but said she was glad that the guardians often stopped it before it got out of hand.

The bell for dinner sounded and Thalia left to round up her hunters. Leon waved and began to return to his cabin to get his guardians in order. He had a nagging feeling that they would be having their own table as well…

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed. This is literally the day after I got back fro Colorado, so I kept my promise to update soon as I could. I bid you all farewell, and ask you all to review. It is reviews left for the writer that encourage him to continue. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dinner and a Challenge

Leon summoned up his guardians for dinner. They hooted and hollered as they walked out of the cabin door, and quite a few campers hollered back, glad to see the guardians there. In the several times that they had been at Camp Half-Blood, campers had really enjoyed the little gatherings at the camp site of the guardians, as Leon always liked for them to have a little fun while they were on leave from protecting innocents.

As they filed into the dining pavillon, siblings of the various guardians from their parent's cabins, at least those who were half-bloods, greeted them. Bethany was getting complimented on her new "guardian look" and Trish, along with Erin, were telling of their recent shopliftting moments to their Hermes siblings. Those two were the best theives Leon had seen, though he never would tell his friend Connor about it.

Leon was about to scan for a table that might have been made for the "Leonike" campers, when Connor and Malcolm both came up to him and gave him crushing "man-hugs". Leon grinned and slapped them on the back, taking pains to make sure he did not break a shoulder with his "god-strength". They could not afford to spend much talking time, as the two were quickly ordered to their respective tables. Leon looked around and saw what he feared.

One of the tables was newer than the rest and he could see the wolf emblem on the side. And so as well as his own cabin, he was getting his own table. He looked over at his guardians, who laughed at his expression and sat down. Leon about to do so as well, until Chiron called out.

"Lord Leonike, if you please, join us at the staff table."

Leon perked his head up at his formal, Olympian name.

"I prefer to eat with my guardians, Chiron."

Chiron smiled knowingly, but restated his request.

"I understand wanting to be with them Leon, but you are a god now. Your place really is at the staff table."

"Leon, what are you doing? Get your godly ass over to the staff table man," Jaydeen said, pointing toward the staff table. Leon gave a "thanks a bunch" look to his lieutenant, and then walked to the staff table. He put himself next to where Chiron was standing.

"Now campers, we all welcome the Hunters of Artemis to camp for a while."

There was a half-hearted clapping from the campers. But what was really embarrassing was several cat-calls and whistles from Leon's guardians, especially the ones who had never met the hunters. The hunters gave them death glares. Leon squeezed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He was going to have to have a little chat with them regarding conduct while dealing with the hunters.

"And we also welcome the Guardians, led by Lord Leonike!"

This time, there was a deafening aplause from the assorted campers. Campers were giving them a standing ovation, and considering the party thrown by the guardians at their last visit. The guardians had managed to smuggle some "not so authorized" beverages with them, and several campers were laying passed out by the side of the lake that night. Good thing Chiron never found out why they passed out, as he was sound asleep when they threw the party.

"And I have a very special announcement. Friday, during Capture the Flag, we formally invite the guardians to join in."

There was a collective cheering from all around. But Leon raised an eyebrow in confusion. They were going to have a game between the hunters and campers. How could they have the guardians in as well. Chiron caught his eye and grinned.

"It will be a special game. Instead of two teams, we will have three. And it will be every team for itself. I will explain the rules before the game, since we are all too hungry to listen. So let's eat!"

Chiron picked up his goblet and raised it.

"To the gods!"

The assorted campers, hunters, and guradians repeated the move.

"To the gods!"

"Thank you!" Leon called, unable to help it. There was a round of laughter from ther campers and guardians, and the hunters allowed smiles of humor upon their face. Then they began to eat.

Leon was curious, so he decided to order wine instead of soda. Despite the drinking age, being a god kind of put him above mortal laws. Besides Mr. D was not here to stop him. Speaking of Mr. D, where was he anyway?

Leon took a sip and gagged, wine dripping from his lips. Chiron was about to raise his goblet when Leon spat out the wine, and he held it inches from his lips, his eyes widening on Leon's act.

"Something amiss Leon?"

"You could say that...uch..what the hell is with the wine? I thought that whatever we summoned here was suppose to be very enjoyable...then if you don't mind me asking, what the _hell_ is with this crap?"

Chiron wondered just what it was that Leon was so disgusted about, then took a taste of the wine himself. He was a lot less showing of his discovery of the taste of the wine than that of Leon, though he quickly turned a shade of pink as he forcibly swallowed it. He puckered his lips in the aftertaste, which was not exactly good itself. Then he turned to Leon, looking like he had swallowed something that gave him instant constipation.

"Leon...I do not know. Let's order something else, shall we?"

Leon agreed and ordered some Dr. Pepper. At least that tasted a lot better than the wine.

"Hey Chiron, where is Mr. D?"

Chiron frowned.

"I don't know. He dissapered several days ago, and we have not heard from him since."

Leon nodded.

"Well...he can take his time..."

Chiron, to his surprise, chuckled.

"Don't we all Leon, don't we all."

The dinner began quitely enough, with just the usual chattering of campers and other groups eating and socialising with their siblings at their respective tables. It was not until mid-meal that a certain disturbance was created at the Hermes table. One of them decided that he did not like the look that one of the hunters were giving him, and he nonchalantly placed a glob of food on a fork at just the right angle. He then slammed his fork's handle, which was hanging off the edge, and sent it catapulting across the area between the two tables. One of the hunters took a chunk of food right in her hair. The hunter snarled and flew around, sending another chunk of food at the Hermes table. It hit it's mark, but before anyone at the Hermes table could retaliate, Erin, a son of Hermes himself at the "Leonike" table, retaliated against the attack on his half brother by sending a steak bone at the hunters. It smacked into another and before anyone knew it, the Hermes and "Leonike" tables were flinging food faster than footballs at each other.

Chiron got up and yelled at them to cease their fire, but his voice was drowned out by the cries and laughter of the campers around them. Leon was laughing too hard at Thalia's food covered face to intervene. Even she was flinging food as fast as she could toward the guardians. Finally, the fight died down, with both groups glaring at each other, though both of them seemed to be supressing laughter beneath their faces.

Chiron ended the dinner after that incident. The campers moved toward their little after-dinner gatherings, and several approached Leon, bowing slightly to his annoyance, and sked when they planned to have the little "party".

"Oh, it will probably be after the captrue the flag game. We got some more of our _special drink_ to pass around."

The campers grinned and told him they were looking forward to it. Leon smiled as they left and got up to order his guradians to the shower area to get cleaned up and get to the cabin. Thalia caught his eye and he gave her a smile, which she returned, leading her hunters back to the Artemis cabin.

An hour later, Leon was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed and his arms behind his back. He liked to assume this position, as he felt extremely comfortable with this pose. And he faked baing asleep, as he kind of loved to hear what people would say when they though you weren't listening. And that was what happened.

"Bethany...what on the gods Earth are you reading?" He heard Jaydeen ask.

"Only the most romantic book ever..._Twilight_!"

Leon heard Jaydeen make a fake gagging noise.

"For the love of Olympus Bethany, how many times have you read those books!"

"Not enough...Edward is so great...but Jacob is so wonderful too...I don't know who to pick."

"Bethany, those characters are so obssessed...it's just wrong."

"It's _romantic_!" Bethany protested.

"It's _creepy_!" Jaydeen shot back. "And the vampires are just sparkling little wussies."

"Your just jealous," Bethany replied.

They continued to bicker about it as Leon turned in his bed, deciding to sleep the day off. He needed his strength for the day ahead. He may not be able to participate in the capture the flag due to his godhood, but he would defenitely drill some things into his troop tommorrow.

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed. Remember to Review. Next chapter, the threesome capture the flag match!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: CTF, triple team.

Leon had never been so embarrassed in his life...at least his godly life, so far.

Before his very eyes, against every warning that he had given him, his own lieutenant, Jaydeen, had attempted the unthinkable. The one thing he should not have done at camp. The one thing that Leon's mother would "jackolope" him instantly for...

He had tried to flirt with one of the hunters...and it was costing him dearly.

Jaydeen had caught sight of Lisa, cleaning her bow on a bench near the cabins. He gave a whistle and turned to Erin, who was standing next to him.

"See that there beauty? I bet I could hit it with one of them hunters in no time."

Leon was forced to intervene before Jaydeen bit off more then he could chew. And then swallowed and choked on it.

"Whoa, there Jaydeen. I don't recommend doing what I think your thinking of doing."

Jaydeen turned to give Leon one of his "you bet" looks.

"Seriously, Jaydeen. They don't take very kindly to being flirted with...especially by boys."

Jaydeen gave a simulated burst of surprise.

"So if Trish were to flirt with them, they'd be fine with that then?"

"No, damn it! They are not exactly the romantic types Jaydeen. I wouldn't try to do that if you want to keep your limbs."

"Easy man, I got it covered."

He then licked his fingers and made a show of combing back his hair, while Erin chuckled and Leon put his hands over his eyes, not wanting to see the blood bath that would be following. He heard Jaydeen coming up behind Lisa and peeked outside his fingers to see Lisa grab his hand and twist him around, holding his arm behind his back. Despite the fact that his lieutenant was being attacked by a Hunter, though an attack he kind of earned, it was a truly hilarious sight.

That is, until Bethany got involved.

He heard her battle cry and turned to see her rush past him in a blur. She was unarmored, but was holding her sword, which Leon knew she could handle impressively, despite being a child of Aphrodite. He didn't think their combat skills were there with the Athena and Ares folks he'd had experience with...though he would never say that in front of Bethany.

But he was startled too much by Bethany's sudden war rush to stop her, only call out for them to break it up. But his voice was lost as Lisa threw Jaydeen away, him landing on his face with his arm behind his back. Then drawing her own blade, she met Bethany's attack. Bethany snarled like a wild beast that had her pups threatened, and then the two fought each other as if over wolves over a kill. Though Bethany was probably the only one fighting like that, over her percieved boyfriend. Leon was going to have to break something to her if Jaydeen did not. But first the only thing he should be breaking was breaking up this fight.

"Okay you two, that's enough!" He called.

But Bethany was so intent on defending her fallen "boyfriend". Jealousy was going to get that girl killed some day, and Leon would have his first immortal guardian to send to Hades.

"Okay you two, I said that is enough!"

But they kept fighting. If anything, they fought even harder.

"I said _ENOUGH_!"

To make sure he made himself understood this time, he sent a shock wave of power toward the two fighting girls. They stopped fighting as a wave of power cascaded over them, sending them both to the ground. Bethany's sword flew out of her hand, and Lisa's along with it. But even then, the two girls continued to brawl, fighting with claw and hair-pulling. They screeched and bit and clawed like two dogs with rabies.

Finally, Thalia noticed the two and was able to help Jaydeen pull the two broads apart, before any campers could gather to watch the next great girl-fight since the Hunter-Aphrodite child brawl of nearly two years ago.

When the two fighting girls were sent back to their respective cabins to await their scolding, Thalia breathed a huff and turned back toward Leon. Leon grinned in appreciation, trying not to notice that his now god eyes were seeing her as far more beautiful than ever.

"Well, that was a disaster that was better left not played out," he said.

"Your telling me? You should be glad that Lisa didn't kill your little Aphrodite guardian."

Leon cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, I think Lisa should be thanking me for trying to call off Bethany. That girl was about to tear your huntress to shreds there, little missy."

Thalia cocked her own eyebrow at the expression. Then she let out a low smile, almost predatory.

"We'll see, in a few hours then. I hope you enjoy watching your little guardians getting hammered by the might of the Hunters of Artemis...your momma!" She said, then turned and jogged off before Leon could reply.

"Oh we'll see Thalia, we'll see..."

-several hours later-

It was all set. The campers, guardians, and hunters were locked and loaded...at least armored and armed. They all hooted and hollered at the other teams, even the usually stoic hunters. War whoops and oaths filled the air, and Leon stood next to Chiron as the two reviewed the scene. Leon's only regret was that he was not able to participate, as, well...a god on a teams side would push their odds of winning just a bit too far.

"All right campers and other groups, here are the rules for this battle!" Chiron called, the crowd quieting.

"As there are three teams here, we have decided to have a special 'elmination' match. This entails that each team will get a flag. Blue for the Campers, red for the Hunters, and a silver one for the Guardians. Each team will place their flag in a position of their choice, though you might want some distance from the other teams, if you can help it. Each team must try to take the flag of the other teams. When a team's flag had been captured, then that team is eliminated from the game. To win, one team must capture all of the active opponents flags. That team will be the winner. All magic items are allowed. I will serve as battlefield medic and co-referee, along with Leonike. To your positions!"

The hooting redoubled in strength, though it quickly died out as the groups melted away to their respective positions. Leon was confidsent that Jaydeen had something up his sleeve for both the campers and hunters. He had always known that boy was mishevious, almost as if he were born of Hermes instead of Apollo.

Leon focused on the game, and to his surprise, being designated a referee alowed him to view the action as if he were watching it on television. He saw his guardians place the flag in a small clearing in the woods, and assigned both Erin and Trish to guard it. It was a good move, as the two children of the god of thieves would know what tricks might be pulled off to attain the flag. He saw Jaydeen also assign three more, Spencer, Bethany, and Jeremy to patrol the area immediately around it, essentially providing extra guards just in case. THen he took the other six and made a beeline for the hunter's territory.

Leon was pleased to see that they took a little birdies adive and painted their armor to look just like camouflage uniforms and some had even gone to the point of painting their faces to easier blend in with the woods around them. Leon remembered the tactic he had used against the hunters. The camo would be good use if they ever had to hide and allow a group of enemy troops to pass them by.

Jaydeen moved them in a coordinated manner, each leapfrogging past the other, then dropping to a knee and signaling for the other to pass. Leon nodded in approval for their tactics and felt he had taught them well. But all that would come into play once they met the Hunters. And they had a scouting party of their own.

Leon saw five hunters approaching his guardians in a tighter group than the guardians. Leon almost called a warning, but held his tongue, knowing that would violate the rules. But he was relived to notice Jaydeen had signaled for them to halt and then to take cover. They each dropped to the ground or hid behind something, the gear making them almost invisible to the hunters eyes.

The scouting group passed them by, heading for what seemed like the campers turf, and Leon could already hear combat from that sector of woods. When the hunters moved out of sight, the guardians resumed their expedition, making it look like the woods came alive when they resumed their trek.

Finally they came upon the flag. Jaydeen gave a signal to his other guardians, and five of them veered off to a little ways distance away. The hunters had left two guards there, each of them looking like ten-year olds. Leon heard the five who moved away making strange sounds and hooting noises, which caught the girls attention. THey glanced at each other and then slowly left the flag, entering the grove of trees where the party was hiding. Leon heard startled shrieks that were cut short, and the sound of rustling and struggling. But the group of guardians emerged from the grove victorious, and Leon suspected that the two hunters were knocked down then tied up.

Jaydeen grabbed the flag and then instead of trying to mask their return, the guardians made a mad dash back toward their own turf. They quickly ran into company however, as Thalia and Lisa were there with four other hunters. They saw their flag being taken, and Leon thought that Thalia's eyes would come right out of their sockets with surprised rage. She shrieked and the hunters rushed Jaydeen.

But the other six guardians ran in front and met their attack, each fighting a hunter in single combat. Jaydeen took the hint and bolted for all he was worth, desperate to reach the boundary between the two territories. And when he crossed it, the red flag of the hunters turned into a silver colored flag with a wolf's emblem upon it.

Jaydeen hooted and hollered, until he realized that none of the guards he left were there to greet him. He ran forward a little more, and realized just had occurred.

Each of them had been knocked out by an unseen force, most likely campers. Erin and Trish were on their backs, lost in dreamland. The other three were all spaced out a ways, all of them unconsciousness as well. And Jaydeen saw something very strange going on with their flag.

It was moving on it's own, dancing in the air toward the campers position...but what could that mean?

Leon was lost in thought for a moment, then the shock hit him. He had heard about it, but had never seen it. That damn Athenian girl, Annabeth, who had help bring him to Camp in the first place, was taking the flag under the invisibility hat.

Jaydeen also seemed to know what was happening. He gave chase immediately.

"Come back here, you Wise-ass!" He screamed.

Leon heard an unseen girl curse, and the flag seemed to be walking itself more quickly. Jaydeen was almost upon her when the flag crossed the boundary, turning into an owl emblem flag.

They lost...

Leon swore, but then lightened up. At least they proved they were more than a match for the hunters.

Cheers erupted from the Camper side as the horn that sounded the end of the game rang out. Annabeth became visible again, smirking at Jaydeen and the guardians who were just getting back. The hunters seemed outraged at the whole thing, but Jaydeen just signed and nodded in acknowledged defeat.

The group rallied at the edge of the woods and Annabeth was still getting hearty thanks from all the campers. Percy Jackson went so far as to give her a deep kiss right there, which she dropped the flag and returned, briefly forgetting what was going on all around them. But whent eh campers and even some guardians ooo-ed, they quickly broke apart, blushing. Leon went to debrief the guardians.

"Guys, you all did great out there. You too the hunters flag right from under them. Just be aware that they have an invisibility capable camper next time we face the campers."

They all nodded, their feelings eased somewhat by Leon's praise. Then he heard a throat being cleared behind him and turned to find Thalia standing behind him. He dismissed the campers, Bethany giving him a strange look before they left, as if she were deducing something.

"I see you have trained them very well," Thalia said.

"I guess you could say that."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to bring out our bigger guns next time we go at it."

Leon's eyebrow raised.

"Bigger guns?"

Thalia just smiled her incredible smile.

"You'll see...catch you later."

She turned to leave.

"Hey Thalia!" Leon called. Thalia turned to check. "You coming to the party tonight. The hunters are as welcome as everyone else."

Thalia considered it for a moment. Then she gave a sad smile.

"I would like to, but Artemis is kinds strict on those kinds of parties."

"Oh, come on. How is my momma gonna know?"

Thalia laughed.

"We'll see"

**Next Chapter, the party's at Camp Half-Blood...but someone might not be so happy...Remember to Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The party is at Camp.

The moon gave off it's lustrous glow. The fires burned in the fires around camp. Campers sat all around, joyfully whispering to themselves of what was to come. Campers mostly sat with themselves, though they often would stop and chat with the guardians for a bit. The hunters kept to themselves far more, though some were not above talking with campers in a usually friendly manner. Not many though.

Leon had sent Trish to keep tabs on Chiron and to inform him when he had gone to sleep, which was usually early. Campers watched as he walked by and muttered, some asking him when they were going to do it, and Leon told them what he had decided. They would wait until Chiron had fallen asleep and then begin the party a little ways out in the woods, at the border of the lake, a good amount of distance away from the Big House.

He waited outside his cabin, yes his very own cabin, and watched as the light in the sky died out with the passing of Apollo's chariot. He grinned in the knowledge that the party would not be long off now. The chattering of the campers, sounding almost like crickets in the night, grew ever more. And Erin, along with Spencer and Jeremy, had managed to get hold of some "special drink" specifically for this gathering. The thoughts of what was coming was sending jitters down his spine. Daniel, a son of Hephaestus, had his boom box powered up and brought special speakers. They would be able to blast the music louder than speakers that small usually could.

Everything seemed set. He had sent several of his guardians along with some volunteer campers to go set up some tables along the edge of the lake and and told them to send a runner back when it was all done. He stressed that they were not to begin any sort of questionable activity down there until he pronounced the party begun. He knew of several couples in camp and some in his own guardians that would have loved to get their boyfriend or girlfriend out of sight for some more personal "action".

Finally, Trish ran down from the Big House, her hair flying behind her, and she pumped her arms to gain more speed. Her smile was wider than he had seen it in a long time, and her eyes glinted mischievously. She stopped in front of Leon, not out of breathe in the slightest. Being the child of the god of athletes had it's advantages.

"Guess what Leon, he's asleep. Chiron went to sleep about ten minutes ago. I didn't come down to tell you until I heard him snoring."

Leon grinned. Campers around who overheard it then looked expectantly at him.

"We'll folks, you know what that means...get down to the party sight."

There was a hushed whooping and cheering, so not to wake Chiron. They would wait until they were a good distance away from Chiron's quarters in the Big House before making any loud noises. Leon got up and began to move down to the party sight. Behind him followed a trail of Campers and Guardians. No hunters, though Leon did not think anyone really cared about that.

They moved through some wooded areas, and some of the campers and guardians had their hands on their weapons they had brought for this purpose. Monsters roamed the woods at night, and while Leon heard them in the distance, none came nearby or close enough to be considered a threat. And so they got to live another day.

He heard some music in the distance and scoffed a little that they would begin some preliminary partying before he gave the word. But hey, they were teens and so what could he do against them? Besides he may be a god...but he was one of them as well. He would have done the exact same thing, or more.

Finally they reached the clearing along a side of beach of the lake. Tables had been set up and some Karaoke machines occupied a area to the left. The tables also had food and some "not-so-legal" drinks to be served. Campers and guardians rushed forward, eagerly beginning to grab at the food an many to taste their first alcohol in life. Leon hoped the younger ones, twelve or even ten years old, would restrict their drinking. He didn't want to answer to Chiron in the morning if he found most of his camp passed out drunk from the party.

Leon gave a nod to Jaydeen, who was sitting on the stage with a mike in his hand. He grinned and gave a signal to the several other guardians behind him, and they began to start the song with a slow, but steadily gathering rhythm. Jaydeen tapped his foot on the stage and lifted the mike to his mouth.

"Are all you campers ready to party!"

"YEAH!"

"I can't hear you!"

"YEAH!"

"Are you all sure about that!"

"_YEAH_!"

"We'll then folks...let's get this party started right!"

At that moment, flames burst from the side of the stage, bathing the party goers in a bright yellow light for a moment. And then the music started, an original song Jaydeen had wrote while they were cleaning out a town several weeks ago. His voice was incredible, but what could one have expected from a son of Apollo?

Campers drank and ate and rocked their heads in rhythm to the song. Jaydeen had done this several times for each time they had thrown a prty at Camp, and Leon thought they got better each time. His little band composing of Jeremy, Erin, and Spencer pounded their instruments and gave background vocals. Leon was sort of shocked at the girls conduct. While the men simply cheered and gave resounding cries of "you rock bro!" or "rock on!" the girls were grinding their bodies in front of the stage, almost as if doing some kind of forbidden dance. Leon suddenly realized that they were trying to catch Jaydeen's eye...I guess Apollo's kids sometimes got a lot more than old Aphro's ever did.

Leon found a drink in his hand before he could stop himself. He downed it in several gulps and savored the sweet alcohol swishing down his throat. It gave someone a rush, to know they were doing something illegal and would not be caught for it. Almost like drugs and sex, but he had never done anything like that...though that second one was probably on the mind of some older people at the party.

The song was switched to a slower and more romantic tune, though not a song to put everyone in "that" mood. Jaydeen sang some familiar songs and then an original which made some of the Aphrodite girls sigh and some of the slow-dancing couples gently kissed for a moment. Leon was saddened for just a moment that a certain girl was not here for him to feel the same sensation with, but he quickly got over it, shaking it from his thoughts. Some things could never be. He laughed silently at Bethany blowing a kiss at Jaydeen and seeing Jaydeen wink back at her.

Leon thought he saw several campers, couples comprising of the opposite genders, walking hand in hand in different directions away from the party, one such couple with the girl gently lowering her hand closer to her boyfriends butt. Leon shook his head. He hoped to his mother that if they did anything, they would at least have thought to bring protection. It was one thing if any of them got drunk at the party, but if there were any unwanted pregnancies...oh the hell he would be paid.

"Are we a little late?"

He whirled around to see, to his complete surprise, Thalia and several hunters behind her. The hunter scanned the party with unmasked disgust for the romantic couples, but seemed content with those just having fun. Leon opened his mouth to say something, but he was completely taken off guard by her sudden arrival. Thalia looked innocently into his eyes with an oh-so-innocent smile.

"Well, don't just stand there and gawk at us. We like to have some fun as well you know? So can we drop in?"

"Uh...uh...sure."

"Great! Go on ahead girls."

Several of the girls smiled at Leon as they filed past him, heading for the refreshments. Several of the campers and guardians watched them with suspicion for a moment, but as the hunters began to drink and actually dance, they quickly caught on. Leon thought he was dreaming. The hunters were actually dancing with campers and waving their heads in tune to the music the band was playing? Holy mother of the moon...well, momma...he had officially seen it all. Granted they were not in any male campers arms, but they danced all the same. He actually saw several more of the hunters join in, and while they mostly kept to themselves, he noticed that several of them would actually exchange a few words with the other campers and even more with guardians.

Leon had noticed that they seemed more inclined to socialize with his guardians then the campers. Maybe it was because they were similar in a way, or maybe it was because they were founded and led by the only child of their mistress. Probably more to the second reason, but it was nice to see them getting along all the same.

His eyes were drawn to Thalia, who was dancing a ways in front of him. His breathe caught in his throat. She was moving her hips and swaying around, her eyes half-closed. She had her face up to the moon and spun and twirled with her arms in the air above her perfectly sculpted dace. She would give a little jump and wave her hips for a moment, before she spun in place and repeated the same process. He almost gagged on his fresh beer, and watched her. By the gods, how could the fates torment him with this forbidden fruit, so beautiful and pure.

His thoughts went back to the times he had been with her during his test by the gods. She had seemed to hate him at first when she realized his parentage, but that quickly changed when she volunteered to go with him. And so they set off to accompany him on the quest to kill the "mythological critters" as he called them. He had slain the Nemean Lion, but been wounded by is final killing move. She had been the one to help him. When he was badly burned after his victory over the hydra, it was she who hovered over him like a mother wolf, making sure he was attended to. And it was her, along with Liana, Malcolm, and Connor, held off the Chimera while he dealt with Echidna.

And it was just before that battle, the battle that very nearly cost him his life, that he realized he loved her. He came to it while she laid within a hotel bed asleep, her face lit dimly by the soft glow of his favorite type of light, the moonlight. He remembered sitting there, contemplating what could very much be his final night, and all he could do was watch that face. He had mentally branded it onto his mind, so that she would be there when he closed his eyes. That face and those eyes, those sky blue eyes that were filled with her father's lighting. That might have been his favorite part of her that he loved the most, her eyes...the windows to the untamed beast that she was. Untamed...and free.

He was lost in thought when he realized just how close in proximity she was. She was doing her same routine, but now he realized that she was a lot closer to him. She danced in front of him, almost like a hawk hovering over her prey. But what kind of prey would he have presented to such a perfect hunter?

Finally, she stopped and looked at him, a smirk on her face.

"Well, are you just going to stand there and watch me dance or are you going to join in?"

"Oh...ah...ah...I uh..."

Thalia gave him a playful slap across the face. He was jolted back to the real world. She slowly danced away, but kept her face on Leon, daring him to pursue. And Leon grinned, not wanting to back away from a challenge like that.

"Better warn you, I am not exactly the dancing type," he said over the music.

"Oh, you'll learn, very quickly, newborn god."

"Newborn?" He questioned.

But Thalia was already dancing around him, and Leon began to initiate his own routine, a more masculine version of her own. The two danced around each other, constantly swirling and swaying and jumping past each other, but never moving even several feet away. It was like two birds of prey in a courtship dance, keeping up with the other through sheer skill and prowess.

At the tables, unbeknown to Leon, a drinking contest was under way between one of the campers and a huntress. Pollux, the son of Dionysus, was having it out with one of the huntresses, an obvious daughter of Ares by the look of her. The two took turns draining a goblet full of what might have been hard liquor. Some of Leon's guardians had really over-done themselves with procuring alcohol. And it was not long after the two began their contest that the Ares girl finally swayed and toppled over, drunk as hell. The Dionysian campers hollered in victory, and the campers next to him raised their own cups in victory, though they did so clumsily, being quite drunk themselves. Hopefully everyone would be able to sleep off the massive hangover epidemic that was going to sweep the camp tomorrow. The huntress near-by began to help their drunk sister back through the woods to the cabin, having to carry her.

Leon did not pay heed to this, for his mind and body was very much occupied by the bird of prey Thalia had become. She danced with him more rapidly now, their bodies beginning to sweat with the movements. They continued long into the night, when Leon and she decided to take a break from it to get some more drinks.

Thalia could hold her liquor. She drank almost effortlessly, while Leon was a god after all, and it took quite a bit to get him into any state. So they drank more and more, until Leon felt just a little bit tipsy. He was putting his cup down when Thalia gave a smirk of victory.

"Oh, come on now, your a god...what is a few more to you," she said, though Leon could swear she was in the same state as he. Or maybe it was just the booze. But h began to drink once again. The two kept drinking together and talking, forgetting the world around them. It was near 4 in the morning when the band played it's last song, a hard rock one where everyone went crazy with dancing.

They danced as one group, their young hearts all pounding as one. Hunter, Camper and Guardian. They all screamed out and jumped and waved their arms as one. Their differences were momentarily forgotten as they all became the young children their hearts were. Even hunters alive for centuries were young lasses once again, loving the thrill of the night. And Leon was a young mortal, not a young god, and holding hand swith the girl of his dream next to him.

HOLD IT...he was holding hands with her?

Yes it was true. He confirmed it with a glance. He and Thalia had seemed to have slipped their hands into each others. They jumped with the others, but their hands stayed conjoined. And when it was done and Jaydeen announced the end, and hoping they all loved it, the cry that rang out was unlike anything that could have been heard from the forests around them. Even monsters in the distance stayed their cries in awe of what they heard, and the gods themselves could not conjure such power. It was the power of youth, and it was a strong one indeed.

"I think I might need just a tinniest bit help back to my cabin, if you don't mind," Thalia said, though she immediately gave a drunken laugh.

Leon joined her, and the two began to walk back to the camp. All around them, campers drunkenly or sluggishly walked back, too psyched up and some to drunk to care about monsters. The camp appeared in the distance, and Thalia finally gave out, drunkenly laughing. Leon scooped her up in his arms, still drunk as she but having just a little more sanity by being a god. But not much...

He simply kicked the door open. The drunk Ares huntress was snoring in her bunk, and several huntress were asleep as well, their minds fogged by drink. They were probably dreaming of why Artemis did not like these kinds of parties for them, for they seemed so much fun. Leon laid a chuckling Thalia on her bunk. And when he did, she did nothing, but immediately fall asleep, or probably passed out in her bed, her body having realized it was now safe to do so. Leon tried to move, but realized his limbs were too stiff to carry him far. And so, in his drunken state, he decided to simply scoot Thalia over and grab a quick nap by her, intending to wake up a little afterward and get back to his own cabin...wait a minute, he had one of those? Those silly looking buildings around that huge fire-pit thingy? Oh yeah, he did.

Before he fell asleep, he heard several hunters enter the cabin, some still laughing in their drink-induced state. He heard them climb onto their beds, some of the ones with top bunks needing several tries to climb on them, in their current state. One girl entered and moved half-way toward her bunk when she simply collapsed on the ground. Apparently, her body decided that it was not going any further, and the floor was quite comfortable. And so she lay there snoring on the wooden floor, face-down.

The few remaining hours of the night quickly faded, but Leon was sound asleep. Unbeknown to him, Thalia had apparently wrapped her arms around him in her sleep, and he had his hand on the small of her back as he slept. The morning couch horn rang out, and not one campers was able to awaken from it. Chiron was probably wondering just what had happened last night.

Leon was sleeping peacefully when the door was flung open and a bright light flooded into the cabin. Leon was slowly awoken by this strange light. But his eyes were still foggy and he could not make out any features. But that bright light was not of Chiron...no. Something far more powerful was entering the cabin, and by the way the quickly forming image of a twelve year old girl was looking around in pure fury, this was not good.

"_WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS_!" The awesome being shrieked.

_oh shit_, Leon thought. _Moms here_...

**Awkward...well, we'll see how Artemis reacts to the rather compromising situation Leon has found himself in, and why she has expectantly come to Camp-Half Blood.**

** Sorry it has taken a while folks, but I had lost my groove and got a breif writers block. But I hope you all liked it. I will try to update more frequently.**

** And for the record, I also have started another OC fic, titled "To Hell And Back". I would absolutely love for all you guys to read that and review it. It would be much appreciated to see your thoughts on that story as well...until next time, Happy Hunting!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Momma Talk

There are few things that are truly scary in the world, as most find out later in their life. There are many childhood fears that simply evaporate with the coming of age. And there are things that remain throughout your teenage years. One of these fears is that you will throw a huge party at your house when you think your parents will be gone for quite some time, only to have them come i right smack-dab in the middle of it.

Or maybe they come in at the end, when everyone is experiencing massive hangovers and some are even vomiting up their drink. And then you cower in the corner of your room while your parents unleash their full fury upon you. This is probably the biggest fear of any fun-loving teenager. But this fear is amplified by only one thing. The parent that has discovered the results of your little rave is an immortal goddess of terrible power, and she is not exactly the most merciful being.

Despite this, the drink that he had ingested had numbed him to a point of less feeling, and so his ability to mentally grasp the situation before him was somewhat hampered. Due to this, the fact that his mother had just kicked the cabin door down and shouted at them did not have the same effect it would on most teens. Instead he simply looked up from the bed, still laying next to Thalia, who still had her arms around him, and smiled, rather dumbly.

"Huh...oh...hey there, mom."

Artemis looked like a female version of the christian devil. She did not have the typical demonic regalia, but she looked as though she could have wrapped the Devil's tail and his neck and strangled him alive. She was breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself, and flaring at all the hunters, many of which were still asleep in their drunken slumber.

"All of you, get up..._now_!"

Some of the hunters awoke and found Artemis standing there, in one of those looks that would melt stones. this spurred them to hasten out of their beds as fast as their condition would allow, and many of them fell flat upon their face as a result. Some would even laugh at themselves, which was not a very good idea with their mistress standing right there. Artemis looked more furious than Leon thought she could be. Who really thought that a twelve year old looking girl could seem so sadistic looking.

"I want to know right now what you girls have been doing!" Artemis screeched.

"Well...well...well we..." one of the hunters began.

"You what!" Artemis snapped.

"We...we had fun!" a huntress cheered happily, and even took the time to make a little jump. These girls were really gonna get it if Leon did nothing.

Artemis grabbed one of the hunters and stared into her eyes. The hunter stared back and did not react for a moment. Then her eyes closed and she gasped in pain. She held her face and looked like she was having a massive migraine. Artemis clearly had been reading her thought s and examining memories of what happened last night. And her eyes twitched as she contemplated it. Then she spoke again, in a very dangerous, much lower voice.

"Leon...where are you."

_Oh mother of everything sweet and holy..._

"Leon, I will not call again. Get over her and stand in front of me..._right now_."

Leon gently pried Thalia's arms off him, and the movements caused her to stir. Leon focused and managed to slowly walk toward Artemis. Artemis spotted him and her eyes blazed with anger. This was not going to be a good day. Leon gulped and slowly stood tall in front of his mother, who did not speak for a long time. Instead her eyes glazed over his body and examined every nook and cranny of him. And then she stared into his eyes for a long while.

"What did you do last night?" she asked. Straight and to the point...

"Well...we had a party and we all had some serious fun. We had several of my guardians play their songs and we all danced and sang and played around..."

"Played around?" she asked, her voice very low, and very dangerous.

"Well, not like _that_. We just played things and partied. You should have come, you probably would have enjoyed it..."

Artemis nodded, her expression never changing. She looked at the hunters who looked a little ragged since they had pretty much slept without changing clothes. Many of them had bed-heads, but Leon was too nervous to say anything about it, not with his mother less than two feet away from him.

"And was there anything to drink at this party?"

"Well, of course. People would get thirsty."

"And was there drinks you should not have had?' her voice was getting very lethal sounding by this point. This probably would be the first real scolding he got from Artemis.

"Well...maybe..."

Artemis's eyes widened and she breathed sharply in, an actual growl coming from deep in her chest. Leon heard it and was actually itching to reach for his sword or summon his bow. Only monsters seemed to growl like that. But the hell he would pay if he actually drew a weapon on his mother.

She took several deep breathes and finally glared at the hunters.

"All of you stay within the cabin until further notice. You cannot even begin to imagine the disappointment I have for all of you. You all actually went along with this charade of my son's, even when you knew what was entitled."

The hunters shirked back from her verbal attack. It was a clever move, as Artemis never even raised her voice, yet it felt to them like she was screaming right into their earlobes. Leon shuddered to think what was going to happen to him when she got him alone...something told him that a spanking of some sort would be the most merciful thing that could happen...as if Artemis would actually do that.

"Mom, don't attack them..." he began.

"You are not one to tell me what to do or not to do, Leonike. You will come to me outside with me and I will tell you what I have come to say. Afterward, you will return and tend to your guardians. The hunters will not be coming to speak to you, and they will not be allowed to leave this cabin until I have properly informed them of their new restrictions."

Leon felt his jaw tighten in anger. It was one thing to attack him, but she would chew out her hunters for something he did? Would his mother actually do something like that?

"The party was _my_ idea, mom. I and my guardians have sponsored it several times now. So just why is it that you have raised such a fuss now?"

"Because my hunters were stupid enough to actually go to it. If I had known that there would be alcohol, then I would have at least informed Chiron. Or is Chiron aware of what happens at these parties."

Leon's jaw tightened even more.

"No, he isn't."

"Well, I will be informing him of what I have discovered. As for now, you will walk with me. I have news to tell you that could affect all of us."

Leon nodded, helpless at what to do. He glanced back at several of the hunters, whom nodded and some gave him reassuring smiles. He mouthed that he was sorry, but his mother cleared her throat. He followed her and shut the cabin door behind him, and then proceeded to follow his mother down the path to the woods. The silence between the two was deafening compared to what happened not one minute ago.

"So, how has godhood been for you?" Artemis asked.

"Pretty good, for the most part."

"How has your guardian group doing?"

"We are quite fine."

Artemis seemed to be trying to lighten the tension between them.

"Leon, I know what I said was harsh. But I have never before actually had any children. So I must confess, I am a little inexperienced when it comes to dealing with them."

"I am seventeen mom. I am a teenager, not a child."

"Which complicates things all the more."

Leon's eyebrows raised in shock.

"Just what do you mean?"

Artemis had a small smile cross her face.

"My only child is now a teenager. Now I know why mortal mothers say teenagers are the little hellions in their family."

Leon was about to respond...and then shrugged. He really had not real answer or rebuttal to that. He knew that he really was an only child, both to his Olympian mother and his mortal foster parents.

"Leon, there has been an incident on Olympus."

"Really? Whats going on?"

"Dionysus is missing."

Leon's brow creased with the information.

"What do you mean missing?"

"He has not been to council several times, and we cannot find him anywhere. We do not know what had become of him."

Leon breathed deeply and contemplated what he was hearing. So Dionysus was missing? What happened when a god went missing? What would happen to the force of life they controlled?

"You know mom, you could have told me this in a message or so. You really did not need to come all this way for nothing."

"I know that Leonike. But...I needed to be sure. I wanted to see you with my own eyes."

"Why?"

Artemis looked at him and gave him a small, almost motherly smile.

"Because I wanted to be absolutely sure you were safe..."

"Oh..."

Artemis reached up and gently stroked his face. She stroked it for a long moment before sighing and looking at the sky.

"I must return to Olympus. We are holding a council to discuss the situation. Something is a miss here, and we need to find out what very soon."

"Alright. Bye mom...I love you."

Artemis looked at him and smiled.

"I love you to, son."

She vanished in a blast of golden light. Leon turned back and began to head over to his cabin, where he knew the guardians would be recovering from their party. He might need to tell them that they may not be able to bring anything intoxicating next time, especially if Artemis carried out her threat.

He opened the door to find them mostly awake and talking, though they did not have a lot of energy due to their still recovering bodies. Jaydeen looked up at Leon as he entered, and gave him his classic goofy grin.

"Yo' man, we missed your snoring last night!"

Leon recoiled.

"What! I do not snore Jaydeen!"

"Oh yes you do...we actually recorded it on tape once. Remind me to play it for you sometime."

Leon growled in annoyance. Despite his extreme loyalty, Jaydeen could be a major pain in his ass at times. But this was a moment for serious information, so he couldn't dwell on any revenge right now.

"Hey guys, gather around. Something has happened that you need to know about."

The guardians gathered around him. Many of them were straining to understand him, so Leon raised his voice a little higher.

"One of the gods is missing."

There were murmurs and whispering all around.

"What do you mean missing?" Jeremy asked.

"Exactly that. No other god knows where he is. He has seemed to have just dropped off the radar."

"So this is a bad thing, right?" Bethany asked. She was not particularly fond of Dionysus.

"Uh, yeah Bethany, this is a little serious," Leon said, and Bethany grumbled and looked down to examine her nails.

"So I am ordering you all to stay alert. If anything happens, we rendezvous somewhere predetermined and discuss what needs to be done. We clear on that folks?"

There was a murmuring of assent. Then a goofy voice rose up from the whispers.

"Hey guys, we still got booze left over!" Spencer yelled.

**Well, sorry to cut you off there, but I wanted this to get back on track, and I promise to try to update more frequently. I hope you all liked what I managed to get down. More action to follow, and the next chapter might be a little bloody and dark, so just saying.**

** It seems that someone nominated one of my stories for the Verita award. So if you guys liked my other story, "The War Of The Hunters", then head over to the Veritas website and vote for it. I have the link posted on my profile. Just go there and then go to the vote section. Find the Best Angst category for summer and if you wish to cast your lot with me, then vote for the story.  
**

** Until next time...run fast, duck low, and wear Kevlar! **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Breach

_Mr. D missing..._

_ So Mr. D was missing. The god of wine and merrymaking has suddenly vanished and no one on Olympus or here knows where he has gone. And so Chiron is left in charge of the camp, which I have no problem with at all, and Mr. D has disappeared. Well, knowing that fat slob of godly meat, he probably is off binge drinking somewhere and just doesn't want the other gods investigating him._

One would be safe to say that Leon was not particularly fond of Mr. D. Always ragging on him for the most minuscule things, which may or not be because he was the most recent god and was being put through some kind of hazing ritual. But that did not excuses some of the things he had said about the other gods, and especially his mother. Dionysus did not seem to like anyone, and when he made a snide comment or two about his mother, Leon felt the urge to, put politely, kick his sorry, godly ass.

He sat contemplating his mothers words, that a god had suddenly vanished right off the grid. No god, no matter if it be Lord Zeus or even a minor god, could find him. He had seemed to have apparently disappeared into a wisp of smoke, and now was bouncing wildly through the world. Despite knowing that it was not a good thing that a god was gone, Leon had to smile. If Dionysus was missing, hopefully the rude guy could stay missing for a while.

He was sitting on the porch of his cabin, watching the campers, guardians and hunters do their thing. Many practiced at the sword and archery ranges, and Leon spotted Jaydeen trying his flirting maneuvers on some Aphrodite girls who were just eating him up. Leon chuckled at his behavior, for it matched his father's very well. Apollo had stopped by the camp of the guardians, whenever they made camp and not stayed somewhere, and had taught some of the males the finer points of womanizing while flirting with the female guardians, notably Bethany and Trish, both of whom had blushed and allowed him to gently stroke their faces.

Bethany had walked up and pulled Jaydeen away from the giggling Aphrodite group and, to everyone's utter shock and honestly complete awe, placed one hard and tight upon his lips. Her half-sister cheered and applauded as Bethany began to semi-make out with Jaydeen right there in the open area of the cabins, and Jaydeen seemed quite content to allow her to satisfy herself. Leon could not really blame her, Bethany was an extremely beautiful girl. But she did not have that primal feeling the he got from...well, _her_.

They had been at camp several days and there had been a flurry of activity at the borders. Campers had reported seeing monsters kind of "testing" the borders, probably just causing havoc for the hell of it. Who really thought about what monsters did or what they thought. They were monsters created to kill and hurt half-bloods and to be honest, Leon thought they were just designed to be...well, dicks.

Leon allowed his senses to go over the camp and felt a type of anxiousness, almost nervous foreboding. He also felt something else, a kind of dark power. His head raised in awareness that something was near, not one thing but many. A strange feeling came over him and out of habit for such things, his bow was summoned to him instantly. His suspicions were proven correct by the sound of sudden screaming coming from the edge of camp.

A camper covered in blood ran through, his sword waving wildly in his mad dash to run through the cabin area and the arenas and ranges. His face was wild and his eyes had that great stare.

"Monsters! They're getting through!"

Leon was shocked for a moment. The golden fleece protected the camp from monsters and mortals, yet now they were coming through? Was tyhe fleece not stopping them? Just what was going on? He heard the cries of more campers as they found monsters right in their face, and he raised his hand, still gripping his bow.

"Guardians, to arms! On me!"

The guardians around him immediately summoned their weapons and rallied around him. He saw campers who had armed themselves racing for the border, and the huntresses were racing as a group toward the fray as well. Leon took into account that he had managed to get all the guardians formed up, and then took off toward the sound of combat as well, his group following close behind.

There was no immediate way of knowing why, but monsters had invaded camp by the hundreds. Leon saw them moving as though watching the very ground come alive, so many there were. He shouted a call to the guardians and they let loose several volleys into the mass coming at them. Monsters fell by the dozens, yet on and on they came.

Just why had the fleece failed...oh hell, no one had time to wonder why...

The guardians and hunters joined the campers in the mad melee. Monsters tussled and attacked, forcing campers back, and then campers would counterattack, and drive the monsters back. Leon thought for a second of revealing his godly form and unleashing some powers on them, for he had really never before tested the limits of what he was capable of. But the sudden realization of what could happen to those around him stopped that. Instead he simply fought as hard as he could, the fact he was a god showing through his lethality.

More monsters piled in, and Leon called for them to fall back to a more defensible position near the cabins. With the cabins serving to disrupt the monsters numbers and formations, the fight could go much easier for the camp. If some buildings were destroyed, then they could always rebuild them. But dead campers stayed dead.

He fired another arrow, vaporizing a monster that had been poised to slice through Trish as she had her back to it, occupied with the creature she herself was fighting. A hellhound made a long swooping jump over Leon's head, as if attempting to get past him without him noticing. But something like that is somewhat hard to miss, and he simply thrust up his blade and cut the hound through the stomach, it turned to dust before it touched the ground.

Ahead of him, a campers head was forcibly removed from his body by the swipe of a dracanae's blade. Leon quickly leaped forward in a kind of "thrusting jump" at the creature, who was unprepared for his move. He sliced his blade right into the creature's chest, and it shrieked as it turned to golden dust before him. He shook his head, trying to get the dust out of his eyes, and swerved around to block the blow of a second one.

Near him, Thalia had been fighting amongst the midst of the huntresses, who were preferring to stand back and shoot from distance. But Thalia seemed to be favoring the more direct route, and was laying into the beasts with her spear and occasionally bashing them with her shield. As she fought, sweat poured from her face and her eyes blazed with the electric blue light of the sky, and gave her the appearance of a almost "beautiful demon" to Leon. He wondered just why the hell he was contemplating her beauty in the middle of a battle. Was he that stricken with her?

A monster made a move to impale her, and she coolly swiped her spear away, battering away the clumsy thrust. She then drove her spear right through the neck of the beast, and it turned to dust, Thalia protecting herself from it';s flailing limbs with her spear. She looked almost happy as she made mice meat out of her various opponents and Leon could swear that he was seeing a grin on her face. But he did not have time to worry avout her, as he had his own guardians to worry about at the moment.

Jaydeen had rallied several of the guardians around him and they formed a kind of anchor for the battle line of the camp. Jeremy and Spence were covering each others backs, and Spence could not waste a moment to rag on the younger guardian.

"You seem to be holding your own...for once..."

"Oh, shut it, ya' damn oaf!"

"Ouch, that hurt me oh so much! Don't you know that iut is rude to make fun of other people!"

"No one ever told you that, did they!"

"Well...Nope!"

The battle continued. The monsters seemed to realize that they had bitten off a hell of a lot more than they could chew, and so they gradually began to initiate a fighting retreat back toward the camp border. The campers formed up once again and kept the pressure up on the monsters, forcing them back farther and farther. The battle was now approaching the base of Half-Blood hill. Leon thought that it would stall there, as the monsters, despite their being forced back, still had at least three to one ratio over the campers in terms of the numbers. Leon kept goading the campers, hunters and guardians onward and onward, and they fought more fiercely then ever, hoping to push the horde back over the border. And then Leon noticed the man on top of the hill.

He was a very large man, and he stood calmly upon the hill, his arms in his pockets. His face was hidden behind sunglasses, and he watched the battle with no expression upon his face. Leon thought he felt an aura of power coming off of him, but he could not focus upon it, for more and more monsters were rushing forward, determined to make a kind of last stand at the base of the hill. Leon fought just as hard as he had been the first time it started, and the monsters began to finally realize that this was a battle they could not win. They gradually began to scamper over the hill, past the strange man, and disappear from sight. The campers and other stayed were they were, panting heavily at the intensity that they had fought.

When Leon looked again...the man was gone...

-Conference Area-

"So just how the hell did an army of monster manage to get past the dragon and get through the fleece's power!" Leon demanded, slamming his fist down on the table for good measure.

Chiron was still clad with his bow, and the rest had not even bothered to remove their armor or weapons, still fearing a possible second wave. Leon and Jaydeen were there as representatives of the guardians. Thalia was as well, and the counselors around them. Thalia seemed uninjured, but she was exhausted as the rest of them. She his it very well though.

"What could allow it? I thought nothing could get past the fleece," she said.

"I do not know...:" Chiron said, his mind already turning wheels in an attempt to decipher just what could cause it.

"Well, we better find out fast," Clarisse declared, her eyes burning with rage.

"Yes, that we must."

There was silence for a moment. Then Chiron turned to them and waved his hand.

"We will not figure out this today, that I am sure of. For now, why don't you all rest. We will post sentries along the borders and keep watch until further notice."

As they slowly filed out, Leon gently grabbed Thalia's arm, stopping her. The rest passed around them, not thinking much of it. Leon's face turned slightly compassionate, as he still did not want to reveal any feelings to her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah Leon...I mean Leonike, I'm fine," she said with a grin. Leon grinned back.

"All right then, just making sure." His heart was filled with relief however. Thalia then left, and Leon stared after he for a moment, before shaking his head and following.

_You know what happens when they fall in love. You can't take her powers from her, you know that. _

Yeah, he thought to himself. He loved her too much for that.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Cleaning up the border

Leon awoke to find most of his guardians still sleeping soundly. He noticed that as a god he seemed to be sleeping a lot less than mortals. Maybe it was just another of those little perks that came with godhood. Whatever the reason, it had the double effect of blessing and curse. Blessing that he would be able to watch over them easier. Curse in that he would be bored to death since nobody was up.

Well, he wouldn't get anything done with them until they had awoke, and he knew it was time to go. The reports from the border indicated that the drug wars were now spilling over the border in more and more violent episodes. And so he felt it was his "godly duty" to have a few words with the perpetrators..or a few arrows...

He decided to get some air. They might not be back for a while, and so he wished to get one last look at the place where he discovered his lineage. He stepped out of his cabin, closing the wolf-emblem door behind him. he breathed in the cool morning air and began to walk along the rows of cabins. He passed the Hypnos cabin and could hear one of them snoring from even outside the cabin. Just being near that cabin made him sleepy as hell.

Moving on, he passed the Hermes cabin, where he knew that old Connor would be sleeping soundly as hell. He remembered how badly he snored during his little test from the gods, and the little "Katie" incident. He reminded himself to bring this up at a completely random moment later on. He chuckled at the memory.

He passed the Aphrodite cabin and knew that Lisa, a friend of his was sleeping there right now. They had not gotten off to a good start, and Leon remembered the huge girl fight between the huntresses and Aphrodite campers. But Lisa had quickly repented and come to his aid during his testing. That would not be something he would forget very soon.

He passed several other cabins, until he came across one that stopped him cold. The silvery one that gleamed in the moonlight. But it may not have been the cabin itself that stopped him as much as whom he knew was sound asleep within it. He was leaving today and he would not return for maybe quite some time. He had to see her one last moment.

He did not march in and sit down. Instead he silently transported himself within the cabin itself, making no noise to disturb any of the sleeping huntresses. he saw the figure that interested him lying on her bed, her soft form curled slightly in her bed. He walked slowly over to her and allowed himself to generate a gentle silvery light. It was just enough to generate an aura to see her face, which to him was an aura enough.

Thalia was sleeping soundly, her breathes coming in easy gestures. Leon smiled at her, the peaceful way she slept, which so contradicted the fiery passion she had when she was awake. Thalia was probably the strongest person he knew, yet when she slept she was like any other, quiet and still as a baby. Her face was so beautiful when she slept.

Leon reached a hand forward and was about to stroke her when he heard her mumble and turn in her sleep. Leon jerked his hand back, thinking he might have awoken her somehow, but she quickly went back to her steady breathing. He sighed in relief and reached forward, the tips of his fingers gently tracing her forehead. Her skin was soft. How could this creature be so peaceful and gentle when sleeping, only to become a hurricane of battle when she was awake?

Leon was rooted to the spot watching her sleep. He knew it was creepy looking, a man standing there watching the girl he had a thing for sleeping without her knowing about it. But he had to see this girl...woman...one last time before they left camp. Things happened in the world, especially in the world of demi-gods. There was no telling when he would lay his eyes upon her once more.

He knew that the horn would sound very soon. He smiled at the sleeping girl one last time before transporting himself outside the cabin, making sure that no one saw his sudden reappearance. He then hurried off to the wolf-emblem cabin, to gather his guardians for yet another scrap with the darkness...

They were ready within the hour. Leon stood next to Chiron and watched as they began to walk out, several of the campers giving some good-bye hugs to some, and several Aphrodite girls crowning around Jaydeen one last time. Jaydeen didn't seem to mind the attention, but Bethany quickly walked over and gave a friendly..."friendly"...nudge to the back that got him moving. They disappeared from view but did not wait for their leader, knowing he would be with them shortly.

"Well, another time with you guys spent," Leon muttered.

"That it is."

"Nice to see you guys again."

"And you as well, my friend."

He and the centaur shook hands. Then Leon teleported next to the line of his guardians. He might be abusing his teleporting power, but he found it so cool, even after two years. Once you got over the shock, being able to teleport anywhere was pretty sweet. Jaydeen nodded over at him a and they continued their trek. They would get to a train station or maybe some other sort of transportation, and take it down to the border.

Leon had heard for a while now that the drug wars were beginning to spill over into U.S. soil for quite a while now. Maybe it was time to give the little bastards a come to Jesus meeting. Or just a meeting with a very angry god...

The train screeched to a halt just a little after midnight. Grumbling, the guardians got off, making sure their weapons and gear were well-hidden. unlike the huntresses, they couldn't just summon their weaponry when they needed it. They either carried it and used it when they needed to, or they stored it in their packs and found out that they needed it in their hands right then and there. One would agree to prefer the former.

The town was right on the border, and a lot of recent violence had been spilling over into the sleepy hamlet for several months now. Just a few days ago, a boy had been kidnapped. They found him in a car, apparently asleep. But when the police got him out, they found him dead and gutted, his hollowed out body being used to smuggle in drugs over the border.

And that bought these monsters a little visit from Leon and the guardians. And it was not going to be a pleasant one...

They found a cheap motel nearby, and Leon checked them into a room for with two beds. The girls and some of the guys could share a bed each. The rest would utilize their sleeping bags on the floor. They each filed in one after the other, giving each other an interval of several minutes in order to not raise suspicion. Unlike the hunters in their little tents, the guardians tended to just stick to mortal accommodations whenever available. They had tents, but sleeping on hard ground, with only your sleeping bag to help you was not something they enjoyed very much.

Jaydeen sat with Leon on the bed.

"So what would the plan be tonight, boss?"

Leon turned to face him and called the room to attention.

"Alright guys, we're gonna break into groups of four, with one group here to tend to the room and make people think there is still people in here. You are to scout around and see if you find any trouble. if you see it, break it up however you see necessary, but do not kill unless you have to. But if you find any of these drug induced bastards around..."

Silence...

"Then no mercy is allowed. Kill em' dead."

There were nods and the guardians readied their weapons, before slipping outside, making sure no one was watching before they did so. They did not find Leon's brief flare of anger to be strange. Leon was a tolerant, merciful god compared to most of them. He still had a huge amount of humanity in him. But there were those out there that deserved absolutely no mercy, especially people who would do that to that poor little boy.

All through the night, strange things happened to people who would be doing wrong...

The rapist attempting to copulate with the young girl who was just sitting in the park, enjoying the night. The next thing he knew, he was seeing his guts spilling out and being practically nailed to a tree...

The mugger who was beating up an old man felt a tap on his shoulder, and when he turned, his whole field of vision was filled with the bottom of a boot delivered via round-house kick...

The gas station robber who was running away with his stolen loot, only to have his feet stolen from his legs when a sword slashed out from the night...

The cries of pain rang out through the night. The people who heard them were afraid, but what they should have been afraid of was what could have happened if the person whose throat cried out had got a hold on them...


End file.
